Florence de Dampierre

Ms.de Dampierre is a busy lady. She is a noted interior designer, author and product designer. Her first book, The Best of Painted Furniture, published in 1987 by Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., has become a bestseller, having sold over a hundred thousand copies. An interior design classic, The Decorators, was published in 1989 (Rizzoli).These titles were followed by Chairs: A History (2006, Harry N. Abrams), which has become the standard reference book on the subject, and French Chic: The Art of Decorating Houses (2008, Rizzoli), which uses her Connecticut home in countless full color photographs to illustrate both principles of design and the techniques she suggests to help one attain a very personal home and one using her "French Chic" visual vocabulary and techniques. Her fifth book, Walls: The Best of Decorative Treatments (2011, Rizzoli) is a lavish journey around the world from the past to the present showcasing such premier decorative wall designs as fresco, wood paneling, stenciling, and wallpaper. De Dampierre shows how decorating walls can transform an interior space to dramatic effect.

Her latest book FRENCH CHIC LIVING ( Rizzoli) is overflowing with time-tested advice and conventional Gallic wisdom for everything from setting up the bar and brewing the perfect cup of tea, to selecting a variety of cheeses for the well-balanced platter. There are tips for polishing silver and repairing chipped porcelain; simple concoctions for making your own all-natural beauty products and home remedies, and, of course, there is de Dampierre’s signature flair for creating delightful bouquets and other home accents to give your abode that quintessential French touch.

De Dampierre shares foolproof tips for adorning your home, from lining dresser drawers with pretty papers, and enhancing them with homemade scents, to creating casual floral arrangements of fresh-cut blooms. She doles out the basics for designing an aromatic kitchen garden full of herbs, fruit, and vegetables—whether on a plot of land or in attractive containers—and how to put this bounty to good use with her fresh, seasonal recipes for luncheons and dinner parties.